Matthew 10:16-23 ● 2026-10-25 ● Series for End Time Season (Reformation Sunday) ● Print version ● Listen to sermon audio
It’s always good to know what is up ahead. I thought of this as I was watching a nature program on penguins. These animals are quite nimble swimming in the water. They may not be created for flight, but they can really fly under the waves. But on land it’s a different story. They waddle about and hop slowly. The program showed this awkward side of penguins. The program showed the path that some penguins took to get back to the ocean to feed. They are a little comical how they travel so dignified in their upright positions wearing their tuxedos as if off to a formal dinner party. The program showed the lead penguin leading hundreds more directly into the resting grounds of thousands of sea lions. Sea lions usually eat fish. But they are known to snatch a penguin now and then. You’ve probably seen those mazes where you need to trace a route from one point to another. It was funny in a frightening way as the camera zoomed out and showed the path the penguins had to take to get on to their dinner party. It was a maze right past all these sleeping sea lions with only inches to spare. They had to waddle through there, bumping into the sea lions, bumping into each other, tip toeing so as not to disturb a hungry mouth. Did they know this is what they were headed for?
This morning Jesus gives us a similar picture when describing his flock. They aren’t like penguins made to march among sea lions, but he says they are like sheep among wolves. As we hear about the mission and path of Jesus’ flock, we find a comforting truth and guidance for us along the way. We find out exactly where we’re headed.
Matthew 10 records Jesus sending out his twelve disciples to preach his message to Israel. He prepares them by telling them what lay ahead. “I am sending you like sheep among wolves.” The disciples weren’t familiar with the picture of clumsy penguins on land. But they knew the picture of helpless sheep. They had no doubt seen what lions and wolves do to their prey. Wolves don’t just snap at sheep and hope to scare them. They lurk to encounter them without a shepherd. Wolves gain up in a pack to overwhelm and devour their victim.
When going out into such danger Jesus gave them a directive: Be wise about how you go out. “Be as shred as snakes.” The enemy, the devil, is crafty. He will use all his power and all his cunning to devour God’s flock. The serpent, the devil, has always resorted to whatever he can to snatch and devour unsuspecting children of God. He uses lies, twists the truth, breaks his Word, uses bait and switch tactics, lures his prey in, then with a quick dart he bites. This calls for being shrewd, avoiding dangers, anticipating the attacks.
Being shrewd doesn’t call for resorting to evil tactics. “Be innocent as doves.” Jesus’ disciples do not resort to their enemies’ tactics. Violence, lies, and deception are not in the game book. Surely, it would be tempting to draw the sword and fight. But the twelve were not to jump into attack mode. In the classic star-trek tv series the captain would often decide what mode of attack his landing team were to have when they went to a new planet. They had phaser weapons that could obliterate their enemies with a pulse of energy. The default setting must have been “kill” because you would often hear the captain saying, “Set your phasers to stun.” Jesus sends his disciples out and is essentially saying, “Don’t even bring your phasers.” Do no harm even to those who threaten you.
But that doesn’t mean that they were to go out like a penguin among the sea lions and jump straight into danger. Being shrewd means quickly and quietly avoiding danger at all costs –like a snake that slithers off to safety.
Yet no matter how shrewd and innocent they might be, dangers will come. They will be hounded out, handed over, and hated by everyone. Listen to what lay ahead. And notice he doesn’t ever say, “You might be.” This is a prophecy regarding the days and years to come for the disciples. Jesus knew what lay ahead, and he wanted them to know this will happen. The wolves would not give up when they see your shrewdness. They would hound their prey out. They would cry and round up their fellow pack members until they had their prey. They would track them down. The disciples would be handed over to local councils and in synagogues. Then they would be punished by them. “You will be handed over… And you will be flogged.” And it wouldn’t end there. Even to the highest appeal of authority, they would be handed over. “You will be brought before governors and kings.” And even the place they might have though safe would turn against them. Their own loved ones would hand them over! Brother would betray brother. Father would betray his own son and hand him over! A son would turn against his Christian parents and hand them over even to death. The disciples were hearing what was in store: the wolves will include those who you called your child. The wolves you will be among will be those who once held you on their lap and showered you with love.
How would you like to be one of those penguins? To know you must walk the sea lion gauntlet? And then when they think they are safe in the water there is an even greater danger than sea lions. The leopard seals are right there in the water to chase and consume to eat an average of five penguins a day in their diet, sometimes 30 in a single day! How about being one of the twelve as Jesus tells them what lay ahead? Going out alone like sheep. Hounded by wolves. Handed over by enemies and friends. Doesn’t get much worse. But Jesus adds what must have been a soundly crushing blow “You will be hated by everyone because of me.” And he says, “Don’t fight back. Stay innocent.” What?! Who could ask for anything worse?
That’s what the disciples of Christ were headed for. He sent the twelve on their mission. But we soon see that he also intended these words for all his witnesses. “You will not finish going through the cities of Israel.” This is a task to carry out “until the Son of Man comes.” Jesus has sent all his sheep; every disciple is a witness. Pastors and teachers are called to full-time service. They are called by Christ through his church. But in a broader sense every disciple also carries out this witness as well. The command, “Go and make disciples,” applies to all the Church. This picture of sheep sent among wolves is for every one of us. We are all like penguins among the sea lions.
The book of Acts show us how the disciples were indeed hounded and hated. The book of Revelation gives us a picture too of how the wolves use the kings and authorities of this earth to persecute the believers throughout these end times. The witnesses of the early church faced certain death in the Roman empire. Many Christians throughout history have gone into the wolves and not come out alive. Martin Luther around five hundred years ago was called to stand before emperor Charles V and recant his witness to the truth. For the sake of Christ he declared an outlaw and fit only to be hounded out, handed over, hated, and killed. Some Lutheran Reformers lost their lives. A prominent English Bible Scholar, ten years younger than Luther was strongly influenced by Luther’s teaching of the gospel, and the clear truth of justification by faith. William Tyndale was put to death during Luther’s time for translating the Bible into English. Christians remain the largest persecuted religious group by a undeniable margin of 80% of all religious persecution. Still today a witness of Christ has this same warning, “You will be…hounded, handed over, hated.”
It doesn’t matter how professional you are as a pastor or teacher of the gospel today. You can put on your tux or your suit, but the enemy doesn’t care. So long as you are holding firmly to the truth you can be sure it will come in some form and in some way along the path. In fact, Jesus once warned, “Everyone will hate you on account of me.”
What are we to do now that we know where we are headed as witnesses for Christ? The enemy persecutes because he wants you to be silent. And isn’t it easy to just stop the witnessing for Christ, to step back, and to side-step the route and all the hounding and hating? It might seem easy to deny the truth or change the gospel we share. But where then are we headed if we forsake the only one and the only way? Who are we serving? We will still face our grave. And no matter how comfortable we can get with the wolves, we will not have any life without Christ. No one will.
Jesus sends his flock. He warns them the opposition will be great. But his words give comfort. “Don’t worry.” You don’t have to worry about dying in vain and for your own words. You who go with the Word of Christ will also go with the Spirit. “The Words will be given.” It will not be you speaking but the Spirit of the Father. The Holy Spirit will give you the exact words necessary at the right time. And those Words have power to change the hearts of those who hate. They have power to spread life and good news of forgiveness in Christ! Think of all the Christians who were devoured by the wolves, flogged, ridiculed, suffered in time. Think of the comfort they had that their last breath was to carry the Word of God to a dying world. You will be hounded, handed over, and hated; but you will remain a spokesperson of the Lord. You will not die without delivering the most powerful message the world has ever known.
And there is more comfort. “He who holds firmly to the end will be saved.” Hounded, handed over, hated, but heaven’s spokesperson and heaven bound. How can we be so sure of that goal?
Christ knows your path. He was hated by those he met. He was handed over by one whom he shared a close friendship. He was standing before the rulers of the Sanhedrin. He was handed over to be killed by the governor Pilate. He was flogged and beaten. He was crucified and died a terrible death. But he was sent by the Father. He was sent to suffer in our place the weight of every sin. For all the times we failed to be a witness the truth: he did not. For the aching guilt that holds onto you because you chose the easy path instead of going out among the wolves he did not fail. For all our guilt as faulted witnesses to his Word he was perfect. And he took every sin for the flock. This shepherd laid down his life for his flock so that we would be free. For all the hate, he brought us his pardon and love.
And the same Spirit that called you to faith in Jesus as your Savior will not leave you. The risen and living Jesus sends you to go out. Following in his steps we speak the same message “The kingdom of God is near.” And here also lies our comfort. Jesus is coming. He who died at the hands of the enemy now forever lives. He promises we too will live with him in glory. No hounding or hating can change that truth! As we face the wolves we know “He is coming.” When the threats come and we feel alone, we know, “It’s only a matter of time. He’s coming.” Faith leads us to hold onto this hope. As sure as we are forgiven by his blood he lives and will come again.
Those penguins in the documentary lined up against a maze of sea lions did know what they were headed for. That’s why they pressed on. We know that ahead lays the eternal life promised by Christ. And not even death can rob us of that. Hounded by the enemy? Fine. My God is still here with me and hears my prayer. He sent me out. Handed over by enemies and friends? Not a problem because Jesus sits at the right hand, judge of all, King of kings. I’m acquitted by Christ in his court because of his precious blood shed for me. Hated by everyone? No worry! What a friend we have in Jesus! He loves me to the end! Still loved by my God for the sake of his Son! We are hounded, handed over, and hated; but we are sent by Christ, we speak with his Spirit, and we are headed home. Who could ask for anything more?
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